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Extra deputy patrols in Westmont area because rash of shootings

Erika Aguilar

This is the area LA Sheriff's deputies in the South LA Station have been adding extra evening patrols in response to a rash of gang-related shootings that happened over the Preisdent's Day holiday weekend.

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Westmont resident may have noticed an increase in LA County Sheriff’s deputy patrols in the neighborhood over this last week.

Four shootings that happened over the President’s Day holiday weekend explain why.

The first one happened Tuesday evening, Feb. 12. Three days later came a second shooting, this one claiming the life of a teenaged boy. The final shooting on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 12:30 a.m. killed another teenager.

All four shootings happened in a small area of Westmont and near the 11200 block of Vermont, and that was enough for the Sheriff's deputy assigned to the area to beef up security.

“We decided to increase patrols in the evening hours since the Sunday shootings,” said Lt. Steve Jauch.

Patrols include the area between Manchester Blvd. and El Segundo Blvd. from the north and south and Western Ave. and Vermont Ave. from the east and west. On Tuesday, the LASD South LA Station put out a community crime alert about the extra deputy patrols.

“It seems to have worked because there have been no shootings since [Sunday, Feb. 17] in that particular part of the county,” Lt. Jauch said.

Detectives on the case believe the shootings could be gang-related, possibly over territory tussles.

This area of South L.A. has a complicated crisscross of law enforcement patrol areas, so LASD’s Safe Streets bureau is working with gang units from the LAPD and Inglewood Police Department.